Educational appliance.



No. 669,878. Patented Mar. l2, I90l.

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EDUCATIONALAPPLIANCE.

(Application filed June 19, 1900.

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No. 669,878. Patented Mar. I2, 1901.

. S. FURDEK. EDUCATIONAL APPLIANCE (Applicatibn filer! June 19, 190(1)(No Model.) 7 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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e rant STEPHEN FURDEK, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 669,878, dated March12, 1901.

Application filed June 19, 1900. berial No. 20,838. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concerm- Be it known that I, STEPHEN FURDEK, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of Cleveland, in the county ofCuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved EducationalAppliance, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to educational appliances, and has for its objectto provide a simple, compact, and convenient device for use in schoolsto exhibit to the pupils various signs or characters, such as lettersfor the teaching of spelling or figures for instruction in arithmetic.The principle of the appliance is the same as in my Patent No. 643,894,of February 20, 1900; but the construction has been improved for thepurpose of increasing its capacity without widening the appliance and inseveral other respects that will appear hereinafter.

The invention will now be fully described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, and the features of novelty will then be pointedout in the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the improved appliance on theline 1. 1 of Fig. 4. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan on the line 2 2 ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end view. Fig. at is a sectional elevation on theline 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a plan view of another form ofconstruction, and Fig. 6 is an inverted plan of a lid or guide formingpart of my invention.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, the device has a frame A, in which areadapted to slide lengthwise carriages B, such carriages being guided, asshown, by ledges A, engaging grooves in the carriages. To actuate thecarriages, I may provide for each of them an independent screw-shaft O,journaled in the frame and engaging a threaded aperture in the carriage.Each shaft carries at each end a pinion C, which engages anindicatingwheel D, along the periphery of which are printed or otherwisemarked the letters, figures, or other signs contained in the device. Astationary pointer E indicates which of said letters or signs is in theoperative position. A handle D serves to turn the wheel D.

Each of the carriages B has end posts 13, between which are arranged tomove vertically slides F. The posts B are connected r COVGI'.

at the top by spaced bars 13, extending lengthwise of the carriage. Theslides F fit between these bars B and are thus held against lat eralmovemept at the top, while such movement is prevented at the bottom byfitting the slide F into a longitudinal groove 13 in the carriage. Theslides F are provided at their upper ends with plates G, integraltherewith or secured thereto. It is my intention that when the device isintended for instruction in spelling the plates Gshould exhibit capitalson one side and small letters on the other.

At the center of the frame A, I locate upright bars A one for eachcarriage. In order to raise the slide F, which registers with the bar AI provide any suitable mechanism; but preferably levers H are pivoted atH at each end of the device, said levers being held at their pivots withsufificient friction to make them stay in whatever position they areleft. The inner ends of the levers H have slots H engaged by pins K,upon a lifting slide K, which has guided movement on the vertical bar AThe inner end of the slide K has a projection K which is adapted toengage notches F in the slides F. When in their lower position, theslides K are so located that the projections K may play freely in thenotches F in the slides F when the carriages B are moved lengthwise, itbeing understood that the said notches normally registerto form acontinuous groove. By bringing the levers H into the position shown inFigs. 1 and i the slide E, which at the time is at the center of thedevice in registry with the projection K is raised. The correspondingplate G is thereby projected above its neighbors, so as to be clearlyvisible, and the projection K of the raised slide K comes between thefull portions of the adjacentslides F the carriage becomes lockedagainst lengthwise movement until the slide K is again lowered.

In order to prevent the foremost of the lowered plates G from beingvisible,together with the raised plate, I may secure acover L to theframe A, as by means of pins A projecting from the frame A intoapertures L in the The cover L has a longitudinal partition Lcorresponding to the bar Ailocated between the carriages and serving toguide the slides F in their upward movement. To

opposite ends of the cover L arehinged lids or plates J of such lengthas to leave between them a central slot J, sufficient for the passage ofthe slides F and plates G.

While I have shown only two carriages in the drawings, it will beunderstood that in practice I may employ a much greater numher. With theconstruction described above the carriages can be set very closelytogether, the width of the device being thus reduced.

The operation will be obvious without m uch further explanation. Theshafts C are turned until the pointers E indicate the desired letter orcharacter on the wheel D, The slides F bearing these letters orcharacters are then in registry with the projections K of the slides Kand may be raised by means of the levers H. It will be observed that themachine may be operated from either end, which is of particularconvenience when, as described, the plates G bear characters on bothsides. When the plates bear on one side a capital and on the other thecorresponding small letter, the teacher may turn the device so that thepupils will see, say, the capitals, while the teacher will at the sametime see the small letters,and will thus be able to ascertain if thedevice works properly. For instance, as shown in Figs. 3 and at, thepupils will see the word In. From the teachers side the device wouldthen show the word in.

The construction shown in Fig. 5 differs from that described above inthe mechanism for feeding the carriage, but is the same in otherrespects. Instead of the screw-shaft C and indicating-Wheel D, I here employ a tape or band M, the ends of which are secured to the carriage B,the tape passing over pulleys N. This tape bears on its face thesuccessive characters or signs which appear on the plates G, and thesecharacters are so arranged that the character appearing in front in linewith the index E is the same as that which is borne by the plate G,which at. that time is in the central or operative posit-ion.

While I have described the appliance as intended for educational use, itmay be employed for other purposes also, as for displaying shortadvertisements, and various other uses will suggest themselves, theapparatus being adapted for service as asignal for calling cabs, as anindicator for various pur poses, as a cash-register, (when the plates GWill bear appropriate figures and monetary signs,) &c. The slides F maybe constructed with types adapted to effect an impression when a slideis moved, so that a permanent record will be preserved of any matterdisplayed by the raised plates G.

" Having thus described -my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of the frame, the slidingcarriage thereon, the slides movable on the carriage, display-platescarried by the slides, means for projecting a slide beyond itsneighbors, and a screw-shaft journaled in the carriage and having anoperating engagement with the carriage.

2. The combination of the frame, the sliding carriage thereon, theslides movable on the carriage, display-plates carried by the slides,means for projecting, a slide beyond its neighbors, a shifting shaftjournaled in the frame and having an operating engagement with thecarriage, and an indicator operated by the rotation of said shaft.

3. The combination of the frame, the sliding carriage, the slides havingguided movement in the carriage, display-plates carried by the slides,means for projecting a plate beyond its neighbors, and a cover securedto the frame, and having a longitudinal partition in a plane betweenadjacent carriages.

4. The combination of the frame, the sliding carriage, the slides havingguided movement in the carriage, display-plates carried by the slides,means for projecting a plate beyond its neighbors, and a cover securedto the frame, said cover having a longitudinal partition in a planebetween adjacent carriages, and lids hinged transversely to the ends ofthe cover and of such length as to leave a transverse centralslotbetween them.

5. The combination of the frame, the sliding carriage, the slidesmounted in the carriage and provided with display-plates, and a liftingmechanism consisting of a slide movable transversely of the directioninwhich the carriage moves, and arranged, when in its position of rest, topermit the display-slides to move freely with the carriage, and leversfulcrumed upon the frame and projecting therefrom at opposite ends, theinner ends of the levers being operatively connected with saidlifting-slide.

6. The combination of the frame, the carriage mounted to slide thereon,a shifting device engaging the carriage, and extending therefrom to eachend of the frame, an indicating device located at each end of the frameand operatively connected with the carriage,slid es carryingdisplay-plates and movable relatively to the carriage, and mechanism forprojecting a slide beyond its neighbors,said mechanism having operatingmembers at each end of the frame.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

STEPHEN FURDEK.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH SHOKAR, M. COLUMBUS.

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